Nicotine Slavery by Lynne Roberts
Nicotine Slavery
By David Jensen
Copyright 2017 by David Jensen
This novel is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Nicotine Slavery
Gerald had been smoking cigarettes since the age of Fourteen years old. And although he had often thought of quitting the habit, the simple fact was that he enjoyed smoking! Some like to have a beer after work, or a glass wine at their favorite Italian restaurant, and others like to get totally blind smashed on the weekends. There are even coffee addicts! So since it would seem that everybody has their own vices and hang-ups and because Gerald stayed abstinent from alcohol and drugs, then why not smoke? As long as one respects the rights of non-smokers, abstain from smoking at the table while others eat, or blowing smoke in another persons face during a conversation. Gerald was respectful towards all the non-smokers at the company where he worked. And then a few of the militant non-smokers decided to start a campaign against smoking, but the results of that campaign, supported by the Companies Management and the Union Representative backfired. And for all parties involved, Management, Union Representative, smokers and non-smokers alike, it ended up as one big headache and a reason to figuratively divide the company up into three categorical groups.
The Management decided on a plan, with the agreement of the Union Representative, that smoking would be prohibited inside of all buildings. Smokers were now relegated to go outside to the specially constructed `Smokers Bus Stops', regardless of the weather conditions. But in the agreement with the Union, people like Gerald didn't have to punch out on the time clock to take a cigarette break. The problem arose that everybody who worked at a computer terminal had a right to a five minute break every hour, on company time. In those break periods they could smoke, if they choose to. So the Union stated that although smokers had to go outside, production workers had the same right to not loose pay when they took a smoking break. Smoking was also allowed when walking between the different buildings.
So it split the company into groups of smokers that take a paid break from production, non-smokers who didn't get a paid break and had to continue working while others stood outside smoking, and the minority group of non-smoking workers which stayed neutral or simply didn't care one way or the other.
Gerald fit into the first group. Those who smoke and had to go outside, but it wouldn't have mattered much to him in the long run, because his job was such that he spent half the day working outside anyways. As soon as the new compliance came into effect, it was only a matter of days before it started. At first when the bullying started, it was brought on as if in a joke, and Gerald went with the jokes. Non-smokers would walk by when he was taking a legitimate break in the Bus Stop and suddenly start slapping at their wrist, as if they were wearing a wristwatch, and saying loudly; “Hello!” But with increasing earnestness, it became less of a joke and more or less bullying out of jealousy. They had to continue work and the others had a legitimate reason to escape the skull drudgery of work, at least for a few minutes.
It started to turn bad for Gerald when he was warned by the union representative that someone was filing complaints with them that he was spending too much time outside, and was smoking more than the others. Both of the complaints were based on a personal opinion and not on facts, Gerald had told them. Gerald requested the name of the person complaining and was told that the name had to be withheld from him due to the confidentiality rule of the union. But it continued, and whoever it was apparently was on a quest to slander his name and the union was obligated to follow up on all complaints.
Then the management decided to outsource his job to a subcontractor. Although he didn't have to worry about his being further employed at the company, due to his contract, the personnel office wanted to do a revision of his pay grade. This was also no problem for Gerald, as he was now in the age group that guaranteed his pay grade under the union’s contract with the company, until he decided to go into retirement. So he gave it no thought when the meeting with the manager, his foreman, and the union representative took place. The manager asked why the meeting was taking place because Gerald could not be reduced in his monthly pay. He said that making a new job description is only a waste of time and a lot of red tape. That was when his foreman spoke up and mentioned the fact that somebody was continually making complaints to the union representative. He was concerned about it and wanted it to stop. But then the union representative figuratively threw a hand grenade into the talks.
“Yeah, Gerald, you know that we have warned you about smoking during working hours. My colleague and I have warned you many times since the new compliance rule came into effect.” Gerald was flabbergasted at what he had just said, because instead of helping Gerald, a union member, he was apparently taking sides and helping the manager. Gerald’s foreman looked as dumbstruck as Gerald felt. The union representative’s statement was tantamount to loading a pistol and giving it to the manager, for as much help as he was. The manager started asking questions about Gerald’s private life, which had nothing to do with the subject at hand, and it started to agitate Gerald. Then the manager offered him a large sum of money to cancel his contract with the company.
With his job balancing on thin ice, (or so he thought, due to the implications from the manager and the antipathy of the union representative), Gerald agreed to only smoke during the morning and lunch breaks. This he did because he thought they had a legitimate reason for a termination of his contract.
A whole week passed and Gerald stood by his word by only smoking during the meal breaks. But it aggravated him, for now he seen and started to keep mental track of how often all the other workers were smoking during the working hours. Then on Friday came the straw that broke the camels back.
Gerald's production manager and the manager were returning from their extended lunch break, and were walking past the building when Gerald came out. Gerald asked the colleagues which were standing outside of the building, (smoking cigarettes of course!), if they had seen any of the workers from the company that was now doing Gerald's old job. Nobody had seen them as of late, so Gerald decided to walk over to the other building to find them. The manager seen Gerald and started to slap his wristwatch, saying; “Hello Gerald. The break time has been over for quite a while!” This bothered Gerald just a little, and he replied; “I know that!” Gerald stopped walking and turned to watch the two walk farther, and seen the manager say something to the production manager. They both started to laugh and turned to look at Gerald, and seeing that he was watching them, laughed again. It was, (as Gerald perceived it), the epitome of bullying. And from the management level!
It was almost quitting time anyways, so Gerald left for home. Because he just couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. It nagged on him the whole weekend, which was cause for two almost sleepless nights. On Monday, he reported the incident to his foreman. Who was also speechless when he heard what had happened. That very day, an appointment was made with the head of the union at the company. Upon hearing about the meeting on Monday, where his colleague dropped the bomb on Gerald, and what had transpired on Friday, he sank his head to the table. Shaking his head from side to side, he must have thought this was some kind of nightmare. But the nightmare belonged to Gerald, and he said that it cannot continue like it is going at the present time. G